Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Is Oyo PDP still one to wrestle power from the ruling party?

Considering
the outcome of governorship election on 9th of August, 2014 in Osun state,
there had been shades of opinion whether the similar scenario can re-occur or
not in Oyo state. In all the political parties in the state, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) has been recognized as the only political party to
wrestle power from the incumbent, All Progress Congress (APC) in the state. But
the question is "can PDP wrestle the power from APC considering the
internal democracy of PDP. It is gathered that there are factions with many
aspirants for various positions in the party. Presently, about 16 governorship
aspirants are jostling for ticket. As a result of this, PDP factions in the
state are at logger head with one another over supremacy contest. There is also
a fear that national leadership may hand pick its favorite aspirant without
following due process. Checks reveal that as the general elections in the state
is fast approaching; the party members are yet to get their act together to
forestall defeat just as the one conceded in 2011. When Dorronews sought the
opinion of the wife of late Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu and PDP
chieftain, Mrs. Bose Adedibu. She said "We have settled our home. What you
are seeing now that seems like a crisis is a as result of aspirants jostling
for various positions which is normal as activities expected at the build up to
elections". She said all the aspirants are eligible to become guber
candidate of PDP saying that there is not going to be any hanky panky as the
guber primary will be conducted with transparency. Said she "the primary
is going to be conducted without favoritism. There is going to be a level
playing ground for all aspirants. I am representing Baba Adedibu to put things
right.

She
vowed that PDP is going to wrestle power from APC saying that the party has
achieved similar feat in 2003 when PDP wrestle power from Alliance for Democracy
(AD) saying it can happen again as PDP is thepolitical party to beat come 2015.

She
maintained that PDP forces responsible for ACN victory in 2011 saying that the
forces have turned back and return to their fold to reinforce a stronger PDP in
Oyo state.

Reacting
to one of what killing PDP in the state, Mrs. Adedibu said “what is killing the
party and many of these people's political careers is that they want to contest
for elective position and as well own party machinery. “You cannot have your
cake and eat it at the same time. You want to hold government and the party, it
is not possible. You have to leave one for other. You can see what failed
governor Akala, he wants to be in government and also have the party machinery,
because it is party that will bring up government. They are both different
entities” she added.

But in a contrary view, Oyo State PDP
chieftain, Elder Wole Oyelese said that there is division among members.

Oyelese said the national leadership
needs to organize new congresses to accommodate the four factions in the state
party.

He said the alternative solution is
to harmonize the factions to give all members a sense of belonging.

The former Minister of Power and
Steel lamented that rather than do the right thing; the national leadership is
supporting one group.

He maintained that faction close to
the national leadership mislead it to maintain a supremacy in the party saying
until the national leadership is well informed, the state party will continue
to suffer its woe. He said the harmonization embarked by the party is without
credibility. Said he “Any harmonization that does not involve party leaders is
not harmonization and any harmonization in which a few people want to dictate,
even when nobody made them our leaders in Oyo State, won’t work. So if harmonization
cannot work, then we should have fresh congresses".

“They always tell us that fresh
congresses would tear the party apart. No, it won’t. As a matter of fact, it
would make it stronger. The more you prevent internal democracy from working in
political parties, the more problems you are going to have", Oyelese said.

Corroborating him, a former chairman
of Ibadan North East local government and an aspirant for House of
Representative, under the party, Hon. Gbenga Adewusipopularly known as 'Arole' said the crisis in
the party still gets messier as warring factions are yet to close ranks.

Arole established this fact in an
interview with journalists. According to him, he is contemplating on which
political party to contest saying he does not want to concede defeat again just
as it happened in 2011.

"The reason I'm contemplating on
which political party to contest is that our party is not settled and I don't
want what happened in 2011 to repeat itself because there is still serious
crisis in Oyo PDP especially as a result of aspiration for governorship
seat", he said.

"I behold a serious problem for
Oyo PDP because of the factions. If a faction should emerge as candidate, other
factions are poised to leave the party to form alliance with other political
parties to seek PDP downfall as it happened in 2011", he explained.

Arole maintained that the PDP crisis
is problem of party leadership saying during the time of Baba Adedibu, he
portrayed an impeccable leadership adding that one of which is that Baba don't
allow 'a winner take it all' rather he shares positions among the contestants
to make everyone has a sense of belonging.

Presently, he said members don't
agree on a consensus leader saying at the beginning, PDP had two factions from
Jumoke Akinjide and Arapaja that held congress in Olubadan stadium and second
faction from Akala and Teslim that held congress in Liberty stadium.

He said presently, the Akala and
Teslim faction has been divided into two due to aspiration for the governorship
candidacy. He said for PDP to win come 2015, they must get their acts together
saying party leaders are meeting on harmonization but can't say if there will
be any prospect.

In his own submission, one of the
governorship aspirant under PDP platform, Engr. Femi Babalola popularly known
as Jogor recently said at a grand finale of Oranyan festival in Oyo that there
is 100 per cent assurance that come 2015, PDP is the party to beat.

According to him, none of the
aspirant will leave the party after the primary because they are now brothers
and sisters and one family. He said Oyo state PDP having too many governorship
aspirants is normal considering the fact that PDP is largest political party in
Africa. “Do you know the size of the party as the largest political party in
Africa, even if we have hundred aspirants for governorship seat we are not
enough, considering the size of the party?

He picked hole in the present
administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi saying his performance is abysmal and
not a people’s friendly government. “In term of security, people’s lives and
property are not saving. Hoodlums just stole a friend’s car and killed somebody
a month ago”, he said.

Also in his own reaction at the
festival, Senator Hosea Ayo Agboola popularly known as Hallelujah maintained
that Oyo state PDP is one. “You can see us together now in harmony, we are now
one as we are now practicing a true internal democracy and I’m promising you
that there will be level playing ground in the party’s guber primary.

Rt: Otunba Alao Akala, Engr. Seyi Makinde and Senator Teslim Folarin

Meanwhile, three aspirants are
guessed to stand a chance to click the governorship ticket. They are former
senate leader, Senator Teslim Folarin that people believe close to the
presidency, immediate former governor of the state, Otunba Alao Akala and Engr.
Seyi Makinde. But while reacting to this, Engr. Makinde said this is not the
first time he is coming out to contest for elective position. “I contested for
Oyo South senatorial seat in 2007 and also in 2011 for the similar position but
I was not given ticket” he said. He however vowed never to cross carpet in case
he lose in the primary saying he believes party leadership will bring out the
best in the primary.

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